Entertainment

Not long after the news broke about the death of Paul Reubens, the comedian best known for portraying his creation Pee-wee Herman on the big and small screen, celebrities took to social media to mourn his death.

Reubens died at 70 after a battle with cancer.

A “shocked and saddened” director Tim Burton posted to Instagram a picture of him and his lead on the set of their 1985 hit Pee-wee’s Big Adventure. “I’ll never forget how Paul helped me at the beginning of my career. It would not have happened without his support,” Burton added, saying he will miss the “great artist.”

Natasha Lyonne had a similar expression of gratitude: The Poker Face star was just a kid when she appeared on Pee-wee’s Playhouse. Her Instagram story reposted her tweeted throwback photos and the message, “Love you so much, Paul. One in all time. Thank you for my career & your forever friendship all these years & for teaching us what a true original is.”

Jimmy Kimmel called Reubens “a brilliant and original comedian who made kids and their parents laugh at the same time.” He added, “He never forgot a birthday and shared his genuine delight for silliness with everyone he met. My family and I will miss him.”

Comedian Dane Cook called him a “gifted performer and a nice person” who was “as great in real life as he was on screen.”

Conan O’Brien said, “No tweet can capture the magic, generosity, artistry, and devout silliness of Paul Reubens. Everyone I know received countless nonsensical memes from Paul on their birthday, and I mean EVERYONE.” Conan added, “His surreal comedy and unrelenting kindness were a gift to us all. Damn, this hurts.”

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Back in 2020, Haunted Mansion director Justin Simien was tapped for another Disney property, but one set in a galaxy far, far away.

Simien had been developing a Disney+ show spun from Donald Glover‘s portrayal of swaggering space smuggler Lando Calrissian as seen in 2018’s Solo: A Star Wars Story. Glover played the younger version of Billy Dee Williams‘ cape-wearing ladies’ man in the film — considered to be one of the bright spots of the underperforming movie.

After working on it for a while, Simien exited the project; it was announced July 27 that Glover, along with his brother, Stephen, will now write the streaming series for Lucasfilm.

ABC Audio asked Simien about the project, and he apparently doesn’t have any hard feelings about the new direction.

“I’m a big fan of Donald Glover,” he says. “I think one of the reasons why I was attracted to do Lando in the first place was to work with him and support him. His work has inspired me tremendously. And a version of Lando where him and his brother write it and bring it to screen is totally a version I want to see, you know?”

However, The Dear White People veteran does add that the headlines about the suddenly revitalized project caught him off guard. “Not my favorite way of finding out I wasn’t doing it,” he said with a laugh. “But also at the same time … I’m very at peace with the idea that maybe the best way to support and participate in the Lando mythology is as a fan.” (AUDIO IS ABC 1-ON-1)

With the SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes still ongoing, it will likely be a while before the Glover brothers’ handiwork sees the light of day on Disney+.

Disney is the parent company of ABC News.

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Paul Reubens, the actor best known for his character Pee-wee Herman, has died at 70, according to the Emmy winner’s Facebook page.

“Last night we said farewell to Paul Reubens, an iconic American actor, comedian, writer and producer whose beloved character Pee-wee Herman delighted generations of children and adults with his positivity, whimsy and belief in the importance of kindness,” the statement on Monday, July 31, began.

“Paul bravely and privately fought cancer for years with his trademark tenacity and wit,” the tribute continued, remembering him as a “gifted and prolific talent.” “He will forever live in the comedy pantheon and in our hearts as a treasured friend and man of remarkable character and generosity of spirit,” the statement continued.

Reubens’ most famous character began on the standup stage, which led to an adult-themed HBO special in 1981. The material was toned down and the character was brought to the big screen with director Tim Burton in the 1985 classic Pee-wee’s Big Adventure, which spawned a sequel, Big Top Pee-wee, in 1988. 

In the interim, Reubens’ creation starred on the small-screen in Pee-Wee’s Playhouse, an Emmy-winning children’s show that ran from 1986 to 1990.

However, Reubens’ arrest in 1991 for indecent exposure at a Florida adult movie theater led to a career downfall, with CBS cancelling reruns of the beloved show, which was supposed to run in syndication.

Over the years, Reubens appeared in many movies and TV shows, including 1992’s Batman Returns for Burton, Matilda, Mystery Men and recently, the TV series What We Do in the Shadows. He also lent his voice to A Nightmare Before Christmas. In 2016, Reubens revisited his beloved Pee-wee character for Netflix in Pee-wee’s Big Holiday.

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The trailer for Loki‘s second season is here.

The coming attraction to the Marvel Studios Disney+ show opens with unlikely partners Owen Wilson‘s Mobius and Tom Hiddleston‘s God of Mischief seeking counsel from a Time Variance Authority employee known as O.B., played by Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once‘s Ke Huy Quan.

At issue is Loki’s randomly staggering and jittering in and out of reality right before their eyes. “Wow. Time-slipping!” O.B. says.

“You’ve seen that?” Wilson’s character asks. “Yeah!” he replies.

“Can you fix that?” Mobius asks. “No!” Quan replies just as quickly.

One of Loki’s slips shows him a glimpse of the end of the world. “If what I saw is true, there’s nothing to stand between this world and utter destruction,” he explains in voiceover.

Only one way to find out,” Wilson drawls as Mobius. “With a little good old-fashioned legwork.”

As the pair slip through various eras in history, we see returning faces from season 1, including Sophia Di Martino‘s Sylvie. “We’re playing God,” she warns Loki. “We are gods,” he replies.

We also see season 1 veterans Gugu Mbatha-Raw reprising as Ravonna Renslayer, Wunmi Mosaku as Hunter B-15 and Jonathan Majors, playing a Kang the Conqueror variant named Victor Timely. “Make the hard choice,” he warns.

The timeline starts running out on October 6.

Marvel Studios is owned by Disney, the parent company of ABC News.

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After a colossal $300 million combined opening weekend two weeks ago, AMC Theatres says the sophomore frame of “Barbenheimer” continues to break records for the chain.

AMC now says the combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer — plus strong showings from the latest Mission: Impossible and the unlikely blockbuster The Sound of Freedom — made July 21-27 the biggest week in the company’s 103-year history.

That week also saw 65 AMC locations recording their highest box office receipts of all time.

The Barbenheimer phenomenon shows no sign of slowing down: Its second week in theaters, along with Mission, Freedom and the debut of Disney’s Haunted Mansion, made for the company’s third-busiest weekend globally since theaters reopened in 2020.

Admissions revenues this past weekend were more than double what they were July 27-30 of last year, the company also revealed.

In a statement, AMC Chairman and CEO Adam Aron commented on the “monumental success” of Barbie and Oppenheimer, which have “new records and new benchmarks being realized seemingly wherever you turn.”

He adds, “These two movies, along with the many others playing on our huge silver screens, continue to rewrite what is possible at the box office.”

Greta Gerwig‘s Barbie already has a worldwide tally of $774.5 million, making the Margot Robbie–Ryan Gosling film the third highest-grossing movie of the year, behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer has a worldwide take of $400.4 million — nearly unheard of for a three-hour historical drama. The movie starring Cillian Murphy, Emily Blunt and Robert Downey Jr. already out-earned Nolan’s previous top-grossers, Tenet and Batman Begins, which earned $365 million and $373 million, respectively.

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It’s still summer, but before long it will be fall, which means a new season of Southern Charm is around the corner and Venita Aspen, one of the stars of the show, tells ABC Audio fans are in for a bumpy ride. 

“I would tell you to put on not one, but two seatbelts,” she teases. “And that’s all I’m going to give you.” 

Although Venita remained pretty tightlipped on the upcoming ninth season of the Bravo show, she didn’t hold anything back when it came to dishing on her summertime skincare routine.

“I keep it very simple. I’m not a 20 step skincare routine, girly, like seven things or less,” she shares. 

“Step one, we cleanse with this purifying gel and then … cleanse again with this gentle cream cleanser,” the model continues. “I don’t do that all the time, but like, I typically do it the morning after wearing a lot of makeup.”

Venita adds that she likes  Clean Skin towels, which are one-use disposables, instead of a washcloth when taking care of her skin. She likes them so much they made it into her top 3 for must-have skin products. The other two? An SPF for your body and your lips. 

“Never leave the house without putting sunscreen on your lips. You can’t put the same SPF that’s on your skin, on your lips,” she explains. “So like chapstick or a lipstick with SPF game changer, like your lip is like the skin barrier is so much thinner compared to your skin. So you just have to put SPF on your lips.”

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Viola Davis is standing in solidarity with the writers and actors amid the current strike.

In a bold move, the Academy Award-winning actress has decided to step away from her upcoming G20 film project, despite the production receiving the SAG-AFTRA interim agreement green light.

In an official statement obtained by Entertainment Tonight, the 57-year-old EGOT winner expressed, “I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike. I appreciate that the producers on the project agree with this decision. JuVee Productions and I stand in solidarity with actors, SAG/AFTRA and the WGA.”

Davis’ decision comes after G20 secured a waiver from SAG-AFTRA Friday, July 28, thanks to its unique affiliation with non AMPTP-associated MRC and distribution by Amazon Studios.

G20 centers around the G20 Summit under a terrorist threat, with Davis portraying the American president, Taylor Sutton, facing a high-stakes battle to protect her family, fellow leaders, and the world. 

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Inga Swenson, best known for her role as Gretchen the Cook the ABC Soap spinoff Benson, died of natural causes after months of declining health at a Los Angeles board and care facility, the actress’ son Mark tells TMZ. She was 90. In addition to Benson, Inga also starred on Broadway and had supporting supporting roles in the films Advise and Consent and The Miracle Worker, where she played Helen Keller‘s mother…

Production on the long-running daytime drama Days Of Our Lives, which streams on NBCUniversal’s Peacock platform, has been temporarily suspended amid the misconduct investigation against longtime co-executive producer/director Albert Alarr, according to Deadline. About 30-40 people — primarily women — were interviewed in the investigation, which probed accusations of inappropriate comments and physical contact, including groping and forceful kissing, and revealed a toxic environment on the show that allegedly had been fostered by Alarr for years, per the outlet…

Hulu has canceled its musical rom-com Up Here after just one season, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The series starred Mae Whitman and Carlos Valdes as a couple working through their anxieties in late ‘90s New York City. In addition to Whitman and Valdes, the show’s cast included Katie Finneran, John Hodgman, Andréa Burns, Emilia Suárez, Sophia Hammons and Scott Porter…

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The combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer continued to lift the previously lackluster summer box office.

Barbie topped the North American box office for the second straight week with an estimated $93 million, bringing its two-week total to $351.4 million. The film added an estimated $122.2 million overseas, for a worldwide tally of $774.5 million. It’s already the third highest-grossing film of the year behind The Super Mario Bros. Movie and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3.

Christopher Nolan‘s Oppenheimer also had another big week, racking up an estimated $46 million, for a two-week domestic haul of $174 million. Its global tally now stands at $400.4 million. It’s already eclipsed the lifetime grosses of Nolan’s previous two films, Tenet and Batman Begins, which earned $365 million and $373 million, respectively.

Disney’s supernatural horror comedy Haunted Mansion opened in third place with an estimated $24.6 million. The movie, based on the theme park ride and starring Owen Wilson, Tiffany Haddish, LaKeith Stanfield, Jamie Lee Curtis, Rosario Dawson and Danny DeVito, collected $33.3 million worldwide.

Sound of Freedom took fourth place with $12.4 million, lifting its domestic total to $148.9 million.

Rounding out the top five was Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One, earning an estimated $10.7 million domestically in its third weekend in theaters. So far, the latest Mission: Impossible has grabbed $139.23 million in North America and $448.5 million worldwide.

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Suits may have only recently become available to watch on Netflix, but it’s already made quite an impression.

The former USA Network series, which starred Meghan Markle for eight seasons, then ran for a ninth and final season after her character was written out, set a viewing time record for an acquired series in the week of June 26-July 2.

According to Nielsen, Suits had 3.14 billion minutes of watch time. This easily passes the former record of 2.49 billion minutes that was held by Manifest, back before the show became a Netflix original and still belonged to NBC.

Suits finished airing almost four years ago in September 2019. It became available on Netflix on June 23. The series is also available to watch on Peacock, and streams from that service contribute to its total viewing time record.

This huge number of streams for Suits beats out newer titles, like the debut of season 3 of The Witcher on Netflix, which came in second with 1.31 billion minutes of viewing, and The Bear on Hulu, which came in third with 1.01 billion minutes of viewing.

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